LinkedIn Corp Soars to Fresh All-Time High on Spectacular Quarter

Source: LinkedIn.

A year ago, professional social networker LinkedIn was in the midst of a brutal pullback that would end up shaving off nearly half of its value from the peak. Shares had briefly touched $257 in September 2013, only to dip to $136 by May 2014.

A few lackluster earnings reports with soft guidance made investors question the company's true potential, leading to the pullback when combined with its premium valuation metrics.

Well, that's all behind us now. LinkedIn's recovery was already well underway, and thanks to a blockbuster quarter, shares have now soared to fresh all-time highs.

The headlinersFourth-quarter revenue jumped 44%, to $643 million. That translated into a similarly strong growth for the full year: 2014 sales grew 45%, to $2.2 billion. Adjusted earnings per share for the quarter came in at $0.61. Both top and bottom lines easily crushed the Street's expectations of $617 million in revenue, and $0.53 per share in adjusted profit.

Source: SEC filings.

The overall mix of LinkedIn's three operating segments was in line with historical trends, with 57% of sales coming from the talent solutions business. Premium subscriptions accounted for 19% of revenue, while marketing solutions brought in the remaining 24%. All three segments are growing very nicely as evidence that many of LinkedIn's recent strategic initiatives are playing out exactly as hoped.

Digging deeper behind the scenesThanks to the acquisition of Bright, which was announced exactly a year ago, LinkedIn currently has 3 million active job listings on its platform, a tenfold increase from a year ago. The publishing platform continues to grow, as well, recently reaching its millionth post. These posts are important to LinkedIn's content and advertising strategy, as members create original content that boosts engagement, and LinkedIn is subsequently able to monetize.

The decision to formally enter China, which was also announced about a year ago, is also paying off. When Linkedin only operated its English version of its service, it already had 4 million Chinese members. That figure has now doubled to more than 8 million members following the launch of localized versions in Simplified Chinese and Traditional Chinese.

Engagement is also on the rise. Last summer, LinkedIn changed its reporting methods for its userbase, transitioning toward internally measured metrics. Unique visiting members -- which are essentially monthly active users -- now stands at 93 million, and total registered members have jumped to 347 million.

Sponsored Updates continue to ramp, now comprising about a third of marketing solutions revenue. That's steady progress for a product that didn't exist six quarters ago. On a trailing-12-month basis, Sponsored Updates is now a nearly $140 million business. That may not stack up to Facebook's mobile results, but it doesn't have to.

The revamped Sales Navigator is also ramping very well, comprising roughly 25% of premium subscriptions revenue during the quarter. LinkedIn's own sales force is very effective, and its field sales channel is really driving this product. Field sales generated 64% of all revenue this quarter, which is a higher mix than normal.

Hey, big spenderMake no mistake, LinkedIn is still very much in growth mode and continues to invest in its future. Capital spending more than doubled sequentially this quarter to more than $240 million. For the full year, capital expenditures were up 97% to almost $550 million. This not only includes the data center strategy that LinkedIn embarked upon in 2013, but also some property purchases that LinkedIn completed during the latter half of the year. If it weren't for these property purchases, 2014 free cash flow would have been $200 million.

As far as its data center strategy goes, LinkedIn plans on launching its third self-managed data center later this year to strengthen its international services, and may even build a fourth.

Where does LinkedIn go from hereLinkedIn's guidance calls for first-quarter revenue of $618 million to $622 million, which is actually below expectations. Full-year 2015 revenue guidance is right on target with analyst models, and is expected between $2.93 billion and $2.95 billion. But LinkedIn is forecasting full-year adjusted earnings per share of $2.95, which is much more profitable than the Street was expecting.

Following such a strong quarter, analysts are rushing to boost price targets, and many have set price targets in excess of $300. Following a lackluster 2014 where shares lagged the broader market, LinkedIn is kicking off 2015 with a bang.

The article LinkedIn Corp Soars to Fresh All-Time High on Spectacular Quarter originally appeared on Fool.com.

Evan Niu, CFA owns shares of Apple, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Evan Niu, CFA has the following options: long January 2016 $150 calls on LinkedIn, short January 2016 $200 calls on LinkedIn, long January 2016 $125 puts on LinkedIn, and short January 2016 $140 puts on LinkedIn. The Motley Fool recommends Apple, Facebook, and LinkedIn. The Motley Fool owns shares of Apple, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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